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Over the years, the development of human babies in artificial wombs has been a significant element in much science fiction, going back at least as far as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, published in 1932, and explored more recently in the Vorkosigan Saga authored by Lois McMaster Bujold. When Miles Vorkosigan, the main protagonist of the series, makes his first appearance, he is a tiny newborn being removed from an artificial womb and presented to his anxious parents. Miles spent the last four months of his development in the artificial womb in order to receive experimental treatment for exposure to a teratogen (a substance that disrupts fetal growth). As readers of the series know, Miles did not escape all the detrimental effects of the teratogen, but artificial womb technology saved his life.

Although Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga takes place in a futuristic setting with advanced reproductive technology, the artificial womb appears to be emerging from the realm of fiction into reality. It is likely that it will first be used to treat premature infants. The earlier such a baby is born, the slimmer are his or her odds of survival. Many premature infants who do survive require an extended period of life support, including an incubator to maintain body temperature, a ventilator to assist breathing, intravenous feeding, and so on. Some of these life-sustaining treatments damage the infants’ fragile bodies and can result in lifelong medical problems. An artificial womb would provide such infants with a more favorable environment in which to complete their development.

In recent years, much progress has been made in developing artificial wombs. In 1997, Yoshinori Kuwabara of Juntendo University in Japan and his research team made headlines with their artificial womb, which was able to sustain fetal goats for several days. Kuwabara’s womb was a clear plastic tank filled with synthetic amniotic fluid, with a component that acted as a placenta for the delivery of oxygen and nutrients and the removal of wastes. At the time, Kuwabara expressed hope that it would soon be possible to support a human fetus in such a device. Kuwabara has since passed away, but other researchers are continuing his work.

More recently, Hung-Ching Liu of Cornell University has been successful with a different approach. She and her team grew cells from human endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus) on a biodegradable scaffold. When growth was complete, the scaffold broke down, leaving an artificially grown uterus. Liu took human embryos remaining from in vitro fertilization (IVF) and got them to attach to the inside of the artificial womb, where they survived for several days. Liu was not able to determine how much longer the embryos would have survived because the experiment was stopped to comply with regulations that place time constraints on human embryo studies.

Media reports of research like Kuwabara’s and Liu’s have generated a great deal of controversy. Some hail artificial wombs as a great medical advance—one that could save the lives of many babies who would otherwise die or suffer lasting harm as a result of premature birth. Others point to issues that may arise should it become possible for babies to develop entirely in artificial wombs. On one hand, women would be free of the discomfort and danger associated with pregnancy and childbirth, without the legal and emotional entanglements of using surrogate mothers. However, some people are concerned that artificial wombs might be misused, and that women could even suffer diminished reproductive rights as a result of the new technology.

Questions

1. In order to develop artificial womb technology for use on humans, human embryos and fetuses would at some point have to be used as experimental subjects. Under what circumstances do you think this should be permissible, or should it? Explain your response.
2. What impact do you think artificial womb technology will have on the abortion issue? Why?
3. If artificial wombs for humans become a reality, they are likely to be quite expensive, at least at first. What concerns does this raise about who should pay?
4. Do you think people should be able to choose to grow their babies entirely in artificial wombs? If so, should this choice be available to everyone? Explain your response.
5. Would you consider using an artificial womb to have your own children? If so, under what circumstances? If not, why not?
6. What is your prediction regarding how advances in artificial womb technology will affect women in our society? Explain.